So I’m a bit busy filming and doing other stuff, and it seems that at the same time this website is struggling because of going over the allocated memory resources (read: too much success :-). But the conference is on, first lecturer Jens Bruun is speaking, see www.neg2012.com.
And by the way, I’m putting pictures up here on Flickr as we go along, see slideshow below.
A memorable moment on TV in our hotel room in Dubai, from when Tunesia’s Oussama Mellouli had swum his 1500 freestyle at the Dubai 2010 World Short Course Championships morning session, ending up winning in the impressive time of 14:24.16.
A video from yesterday, now on YouTube with 99 days to go ! :-)
At the South African Nationals today, Charl Crous confirmed his qualification in the men’s 100 backstroke by winning the final with a time of 54.18, well under the FINA A cut of 54.40. Chad Le Clos qualified for a third swim in the Olympics with a time of 1:55.30 in the men’s 200 butterfly, third-ranked in the world this year, and and Kathryn Meaklin clipped the FINA A cut in the women’s 200 IM with a time of 2:13.33. Read more here on SwimmingWorld Magazine.
At the Russian National Championships today, Alexander Tikhonov qualified for the Olympics with a 4:15.25 in the men’s 400 IM, Evgeny Korotyshkin and and Nikolay Skvortsov with a tight 52.07 to 52.08 in the men’s 100 butterfly ahead of Nikita Konovalov in 52.15, and Arkady Vyatchanin and Vladimir Morozov with 53.91 and 53.93 respectively in the men’s 100 backstroke. Read more here on SwimmingWorld Magazine
Very positive read here on sports.yahoo.com, on how swimming is beneficial to people with multiple sclerosis, because 1) it is social no matter medical condition, 2) it is effective but gentle strength training, 3) it relaxes and brings down stress level, 4) it is cooling even when training on hot days (and has the added benefit of lifeguards), and 5) allows balance training while supporting ones body.
Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities today announced the launch of its new Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim mobile app for iPad and iPhone. The app, which is free of charge, is the first app of its kind designed to promote water safety to children. It was remarkably approved by Apple on April 4, 2012, which would have been Stew Leonard III’s 25th birthday, a toddler who drowned on January 1, 1989, sparking his parents to pledge that they would do everything in their power to prevent this tragedy from striking other families. “Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under age 5. We see kids who are using and enjoying their parents’ iPhone and iPads every day, so we knew that developing a water safety app would be a great way to communicate with parents and children alike†said Kim and Stew Leonard, founders of Stew Leonard III Children’s Charities. Via timesunion.com, go visit stewietheduck.com
An Iranian diplomat has been accused of fondling girls at a local swimming pool in Brazil’s capital city Brasilia, a case testing local perceptions of diplomatic immunity laws. Witnesses said the diplomat had been pretending to swim around the pool in a “duck-diving” manner, police said. While underwater, however, the diplomat surreptitiously fondled four girls between the ages of nine and 15 years, police said. Some of the girls began screaming and their parents confronted the man. “It is really surprising that a diplomat would act in such a way,” said Johnson Monteiro, a civil police detective who handled the case. Read The Wall Street Journal
Mutual of Omaha recently launched Swim Star 2012, a unique swimming game app for iPhone and iPad, in anticipation of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, which will take place in the company’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. in June, and the Summer Olympic Games in London. Swim Star 2012 allows players to select an avatar and their preferred swim stroke to compete for a place on the podium at every event. Players can progress from beginner level to qualifying, regional, nationals and world levels. Swim Star 2012 has GameCenter integration that allows players to post times to a leaderboard for each stroke. It also offers Facebook and Twitter integration to share accomplishments with friends. See iTunes and swimstargame.com, via MarketWatch
